Say it with pavers

Pavers are a great surface for any outdoor area. They come in a wide range of styles, shapes and colours to suit styles from traditional to contemporary. Laying pavers is also a great DIY project so you can get the outdoor area you love for less.

Mix and match

Brent Wilson

Because pavers come in many different colours, and even shapes, within the same range, you can use them to take a modern twist on the old crazy paving. Mix light and dark shades in rectangular and square shapes. There’s no rules, just play around with the pavers to find a pattern you like.

Blaze a trail

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To break up and otherwise large area and to guide the way to your door, create a path in your design. Small cobblestones in a complementary colour to the main body of pavers defines the edges while in the centre, a large format paver in a contrasting colour provides the point of difference.

Green things up

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Infuse a bit of nature into your paved area. Lay them in a grid pattern with gaps between them, then fill in the gaps with a low maintenance plant like Dichondra or mini Mondo Grass. As well as the contrasting colour, the natural element brings a different texture to the surface. It’s a great idea around a pool as you don’t have any issue with water runoff, it just soaks into the ground.

Pick a pattern

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You can lay pavers in a variety of patterns to achieve a range of effects. For a formal look, choose square pavers and lay them in a straight line. This also works well for paths as the lines between the pavers direct your guests along the path. Large format pavers laid in a stretcher bond is also a popular look. Stretcher bond is where the pavers are offset to the next row, like the pattern of bricks in a wall. Herringbone is a zig zag pattern used with smaller clay pavers. Because the pavers interlock, it is inherently strong and good for heavy duty areas, like a driveway.